Thursday, 28 August 2014

Following on from last year's dull-length début
'Shout', London's Machine Rox have waisted no time in unleashing
another collection of industrial metal head-bangers. They took their
time before releasing their first album, but 'Shout' saw the quartet
become the band that they had strived to be, hard, fast and
surprisingly club-friendly. 'Next Level' as the title suggests sees
the band aiming to raise their game further with a sharper focus and
some even better riffs.

The guitars are loud and savagely
distorted, the synths are slick and catchy, and the vocals sound
better than on any previous album. Songs such as 'Love Explosion',
'Electric Sun', 'Cycle Complete', 'My Own Religion', and 'You Belong
To Me' really show how far the band have come in terms of songwriting
and execution. They are heavier, tighter, more polished and not
afraid to mix things up, such as in the lush instrumental 'Last
Kamikaze' or the fist-in-the-air southern rock riffing of 'Losers In
Your Game'.

The production has continued to improve as well
on this release with far fewer instances of the vocals getting
swamped by the guitars. It still has a roughness to it's sound, but
when the synths are high in the mix it creates quite a nice balance
between their dirty rock and slick dance sides.

If the band's
aim was to raise their game to the next level with this album, they
have certainly achieved that. The album takes a big step on from the
solid foundation of 'Shout' and consolidates their position as a
force to be reckoned with. The band's confidence has soared over the
past couple of years and the effect it has had on their output has
been impressive. If they can continue this kind of pace at this level
they will only continue to see their stock rise further.